Going Without
by Hossyboy
Summary: It all started because a dare of course. A dare to go into the forbidden forest and of course Dean couldn't let his best friend go alone. If only Seamus hadn't been so hard headed, so proud. Then, maybe then he wouldn't be dead. M for violence at the moment.


**Chapter One**:

"Hurry it up ya git!" Seamus shouted over his shoulder, the stocky teen already tearing off down the slanted hill towards the dark twisted trees of the forest. A cold breeze passed overhead and shook the shadowed branches to life. Their scratchy voices rising above the muted howl of the wind. Seamus seemed oblivious to the eerie song of the wood.

Habit had Deans legs moving before he had time to think, chasing after Seamus came naturally, so even now in the face of danger Dean loyally followed the scot into the ominous dark, silently laughing at how he'd practically been kidnapped in his sleep.

He'd been shaken awake in the middle of the night by a grinning Seamus and out the door they'd gone, without even a single word to each other. In the blink of an eye it seemed Dean was running down the slanted slope beside Hagrad's cottage, the forbidden forest looming ominously before the pair.

Their footfalls drummed in his ears and the dark skinned boy almost glanced over his shoulder to the school, for fear of being spotted. Almost. Instead he jogged to Seamus's side, their shoulders brushing in the serene and domestic way that summed up their friendship. They were just too familiar with each other to be uncomfortable, they'd stood naked before each other and laughed without even batting an eye, they'd wrestled around in mud, and fallen together in tangled heaps without any distrust or discomfort. That was just how they were, that's just how they always would be.

Forked shadows danced their way across Dean as he moved around the twisted tree's tangled roots, the full moon peered down at the pair through the cage bars of the treetops. Dean slowed to glance around and Seamus quickly moved ahead.

The cool night was viciously cold and Deans breath curled in tuffs of mist, evaporating before he could even draw another breath. Goosebumps sprang to life on his skin and he would have shivered had his blood not been pumping hot with the chase.

"Seamus!" Dean loudly whispered to the lively boys back, an uncomfortable feeling settling on his spine.

"What?" Seamus answered, spinning around to jog backwards, the scots deep azure eyes meeting Deans obsidian pair. What had Dean been trying to say?

"N-never mind." Dean stuttered, his cheeks catching fire in embarrassment as the scot began to laugh.

"Ya sure be an odd one Dea-" Seamus's face paled for a heartbeat before he tilted backwards mid-stride.

"Seamus!" Dean gasped. Instinctively he reached forward and grasped his best friends forearm. Momentum though didn't work in Deans favor and soon they were both falling, Seamus having tripped over a root while not looking, straight over the edge of a hill.

The dark world spun on its head in both their eyes, with both the sky and wood dark there was no up or down. Together they tumbled down the sharp slope, their limbs one tangled mess as they landed in a heap in a giant pile of dead leaves.

A few moments passed, their hearts hammering, their breaths shallow, their eyes wide. Then a small peel of laughter escaped Deans trembling lips and his whole body shook as his amusement built.

"It's not funny!" Seamus tried to snap, but he was laughing too. Pushing against Deans chest Seamus made enough room for them to look at each other. The leaves loomed around them, like walls protecting them from the outside world.

"You should have seen your face!" Dean chuckled and felt his heart pick up speed once more at the sight of a rosy hue blooming on Seamus's freckled cheeks.

"Oh it wasn't that bad!" Seamus snorted in defense, his eyes falling from Deans in embarrassment.

"Oh it was." Dean laughed some more but stopped when Seamus's eyes met his, an anger smoldering there.

"I'm not sum pussy!" Seamus snapped and moved to stand, shattering their protective dome of leaves. Dean noticed the scot used the same name the boys who dared them to do this had used.

"I never said you were!" Dean argued and rose after his best friend.

"Yes ye did!" Seamus growled back and began to stomp off.

Even in his angered state Dean knew better than to let his friend go cool off someplace alone even if that's what he normally allowed. They were in the forbidden forest after all, there was no way Dean was letting Seamus out of his sight.

"Stop Seamus!" Dean called and reached out to grab his best friend, only to have his hand swatted away by the scot.

"Leave me alone!" Seamus snarled and turned to dash off into the shadows.

"Your only a pussy when you run from conflict!" Dean spat hurriedly, desperate to stop Seamus from leaving.

"Wat tid ya just say?" Anger had always made Seamus's accent thicker, now was no different, even if his anger was directed at his best friend.

"You heard what I said." Dean muttered and was flooded with both dread and relief as Seamus turned back to face him.

"I'll shew ya how mutch of a pussy I am." Seamus growled, his eyes smoldering and chin tucked. Telltale signs that there was about to be a fight.

Dean didn't even have time to take a startled step back before Seamus surged forward and knocked him on his arse. The fists followed soon after, the first connecting with Deans jaw and the next with his stomach, both leaving him breathless and dazed.

"I hate cha!" Seamus screamed, his face and eyes rimmed red with anger, that was anger right? "I hope ya die ya heartless bastard!" The next fist connected with his nose and the echoing snap made Seamus still and Dean move. A crimson tide gushed over Dean's lips and chin, clogging all his senses with the smell and taste of salt and iron, the taste of his own blood.

"Dean!" Seamus cried and tried to remove Deans hands from his face. Dean refused to budge, clutching his nose with desperation. "Dean let me se-" Seamus was cut short as he was shoved backwards, out of reach of Dean, who suddenly stood.

"Don't touch me!" Dean shouted and stumbled away from Seamus, the pain in his dark eyes much more than physical.

"Dean..." Seamus almost sounded defeated, all the scots previous anger forgotten. "I didn't mean to hurt cha Dean, I'd never purposely hurt cha Dean! You just said those things Dean and you know how I am!" Seamus wasn't sure if he was reassuring himself or his best friend.

"Shut up Seamus." Dean growled darkly as he staggered over to a nearby tree, his vision blurry with pain. Immediately Seamus did so, when Dean got mad everyone knew to stay away. When the gentle giant was enraged he was worst than any dementor.

So they stayed like that, dean clutching his bloody nose in one hand, supporting himself against the tree with the other and Seamus tense as a board, his mouth open, choking on all the apologies in his throat. The wind picked up and the trees seemed to lash out at each other, their clashing branches making a ominous racket. Seamus glanced up as a chill began to work its way up his legs, his breath catching as a sudden fear took hold of him.

"Dean lets get a rock and let's go." Seamus whispered, his wide eyes once again returning to his best friends stiff figure.

"Then get your damn rock." Dean spat and coughed a wet cough, no doubt from his own blood.

"Yeah, yeah." Seamus said and scrambled across the leaves in search of a stone. Dean turned away from the sight, filled with an anger he'd never felt for Seamus before. An anger fueled by his own frustration, frustration over what?

"Hey Dean I found a nice one, we-" a resounding snap echoed through the night air. Dean's thoughts evaporated in confusion and in his ears he heard his heart beat once before Seamus's scream filled the forest.

"Seamus!" Dean shouted and whirled around to face the darkness. Seamus was gone and his screams were moving away. "SEAMUS!" Dean screamed as he plunged deeper into the woods following his best friends voice.

Branches clawed at his face and brambles tore at his skin. Roots tripped his feet and he landed hard on his stomach, all the breath in his lungs leaving him in one painful huff.

Dazed he struggled onto all fours but couldn't find the strength to push himself into his feet, his mouth open hungry for air he couldn't inhale. It was in those few seconds his entire world shifted, shifted and tumbled over.

His ringing ears heard the fading screams and his best friends last desperate plea. His own name bouncing through the trees, and then Seamus was gone. The only sound left was the howling wind and the restless trees.

Dean gasped, gulping in air that he choked on. He coughed and sobbed, his face twisted in horror as he sat back on his heels and wailed into the cold air. His whole body trembled and his eyes glistened in the moonlight. Tears rushed down his cheeks, staining his mocha skin a darker color.

Sobbing he rose shakily to his feet and lurched forward, his body gaining momentum until he was once again racing through the forest.

"Seamus!" He cried into the forest, running and running. "Seamus!" He screamed, his voice horse.

"Seamus please!" Dean sobbed, "where are you Seamus?!"

Babbling and crying like a lost child Dean ran through the forest until he could no longer run. Then he staggered through the wood, searching and searching for the person who meant the most.

Teary-eyed Dean didn't spot the ledge until he was tumbling head first over it. Rolling down the dirty slope Dean was thrown and beaten by the hard twisted roots the eroding ground had uncovered until finally landing at the bottom.

Groaning Dean remained still as possible, his whole body ached, thinly smeared with his own blood. His lungs burned and his eyes stung.

"Seamus." He breathed and again pushed himself onto his feet. Only to fall to his knees.

Just a few feet away lay a bloody lump atop the decaying forest floor. Sandy brown hair matted with blood and soil, flesh peeled open for the forest to see. Torn clothes barely clinging to the mutilated mess that was Seamus Finnigan.

Dean covered his mouth to muffle the strangled sob that tried to escape. Hot fresh tears rolled down his dry cheeks.

"Seamus." He whispered and crawled over to the still figure. "Seamus." He whispered louder and reached out to grasp his friends shoulder.

Slick with blood Dean's hands slipped uselessly across Seamus's skin, pointlessly he tried to cover a gushing wound at the conjunction of Seamus's neck and shoulder. More and more blood spilled forth from between Dean's fingers until Dean's skin was soaked with the vile liquid and his nose burned with the smell of it.

"S-Seamus!" Dean choked out, desperate for any response, any sign of life.

But something about the angle of Seamus's head, the way it lolled around freely when Dean shook the boy and the loss of the mischievous luster in those expressive eyes was unrefutable. Deans heart twisted and his eyes stung with the truth.

Seamus wasn't behind those dull eyes, his best friend wasn't beneath that torn flesh and broken bone. Seamus was gone and all that was left was a husk, a shell of Deans best friend.

"S-Se-ea-amus?" He choked out, his mind still stumbling over the facts laid out plainly before him.

His best friend was dead.

"No, no, no, no!" Dean cried as he grasped both sides of Seamus's colorless face, even the mans dusting of freckles had lost their previous hue.

"You can't leave me! I'll get you back to Hogwarts and you'll be all better!" Dean sobbed as he collected his best friend in his arms.

Standing up proved difficult and he stumbled backwards beneath the new weight. The irishman might be a lot smaller than Dean but that didn't mean he weighed any less.

Pain lanced through Dean's battered body, he felt a gash in his leg he hadn't been aware of before. No doubt gained from his senseless and frantic run.

Choosing a direction he hoped would lead him out of the forest, he lurched forward, carefully clutching the limp body in his arms. "Help us!" He shouted, his horse voice instantly stolen away by the roaring wind and the creaks and groans of the ancient trees. "Help!" He choked out before his legs tangled in something and his balance was lost.

Instinctively Dean tucked Seamus's body into his own, forcing himself to take the brunt of the impact on his back. Agony flooded everyone of his senses and he writhed breathlessly atop the decaying forest leaves. Finally he caught his breath and screamed for what felt like an hour, all the pain and helplessness rising to the surface.

When his screaming stopped Dean forced his eyes open and fought to disperse the dots limiting his vision, if only to catch a glimpse his best friend. Flanking him was the body of Seamus and Dean rolled onto his side to pull the husk close, his feverish skin pressed against the ice block that was Seamus. It was the last thing Dean would remember before a wave of darkness swallowed him, his whole being sinking into its lifeless depths


End file.
